NBA = IBA? All-Star Voting Exposes a Global League — and an American Backlash

The NBA isn’t “American property” anymore — and this year’s All-Star voting made that impossible to ignore. Ric Bucher breaks down why the top fan vote-getters being international stars isn’t a problem… it’s the point. But there’s a twist: the players’ vote tells a very different story than the fans and media, raising an uncomfortable question about who the league’s real hierarchy respects. Then: Ric takes aim at the “free throw merchant” label on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , previews the new All-Star format (Americans vs. foreigners), and explains why it might finally bring competitive juice back to All-Star weekend. And in a hard left turn into culture + business: Ric calls out the optics of Nike/LeBron’s MLK Day shoe release , and closes with a look at Jeanie Buss, the Buss family, and the future of the Lakers , including the resentment over the Bronny roster spot and why Steve Ballmer’s financial advantage may have forced Jeanie’s hand. Time Stamps 00:00 “Cooking with gas” + show intro 00:41 Ric announces upcoming book on being coachable 01:41 NBA → “IBA” : the league’s global takeover is complete 02:19 All-Star vote shocker: Luka/Giannis/Jokic lead — and fans don’t care where you’re from 03:07 Deni Avdija leapfrogs Anthony Edwards : how did that happen? 04:34 Why the league changed voting rules after Zaza Pachulia 05:08 Ric’s theory: Ant’s off-court noise may be costing him votes 06:40 Players vs fans/media: who actually respects which stars? 08:45 SGA isn’t a “free throw merchant” — blame the whistle, not the scorer 10:07 New All-Star format : Americans vs foreigners — and why internationals may have something to prove 12:41 Social media’s “everything is debatable” disease + Ric’s contrarian code 13:39 Nike + LeBron MLK shoe : “sounds wrong” and gets worse the more you explain it 16:41 The real lesson: stars need advisors who say “no” 20:04 Jeanie Buss + Lakers sale strategy : what’s new (and what isn’t) 21:12 The Bronny favor and why some Lakers voices feel unappreciated 26:14 Ballmer’s money changed the Lakers’ reality — and Jeanie’s endgame 27:50 Wrap-up + what Ric might cover next (Raptors/Warriors locker rooms) Support this show . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to NBA = IBA? All-Star Voting Exposes a Global League — and an American Backlash online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

NBA = IBA? All-Star Voting Exposes a Global League — and an American Backlash is an episode from On The Ball with Ric Bucher by Ric Bucher.

This episode is 28:46 long.

This episode was published on Jan 22, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from On The Ball with Ric Bucher when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.